City.

{Last night's view from the restaurant near Columbus Circle}

Evenings in the city will always make me think of this song and remind me of the 12-year-old Sara that first visited and fell in love with NYC all those years ago. No matter where I live and for the rest of my life, a part of my heart will always be in this city. 

Our 2nd anniversary trip, Pt. 3

On our last day at Sweetwater Farm B&B and Grace Winery, we took our time waking up and getting to breakfast. Since check-out was at noon, we wanted to make the most of the last few hours of our anniversary weekend.

Once again, breakfast was wonderful. Scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and caramelized onions on an english muffin and coffee. Seriously, I've got to get better at cooking breakfast, ha! After breakfast, we took a walk through the vineyard. It was so fun to see the grapes growing, even if they weren't ready to pick. 

After our walk, we went back up to our room and finished packing. But before we said goodbye to our anniversary/getaway weekend, we had to stick with tradition and take our 2nd anniversary picture! We decided to take this one in front of the red barn where we did our wine tasting the first afternoon. 

I'm so glad that Luke and I decided to spend a weekend away from New Jersey and everyday life to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. Someday, trips like this won't be easy. I've cherished so much these first two years that Luke and I have had as husband and wife without kids or too many big commitments. I know that someday I'll look back on these early years and be so grateful that we took the time to invest in each other and just be "us."

If anyone is ever looking for a cute place to stay with your husband/wife, get the family together, or even have a fun girls' weekend in or near Glen Mills, PA, we definitely recommend Sweetwater Farm B&B! :)

Our 2nd anniversary trip, Pt. 1

Our 2nd anniversary/weekend getaway was pretty last minute, but I'm so glad we decided to get out of town! Luke and I drove just a couple hours southwest of our little Jersey town to the Brandywine Valley and the little town of Glen Mills, PA. In Glen Mills (and off the beaten path), you can find the most quaint little bed & breakfast called Sweetwater Farm that shares property with Grace Winery. 

We arrived, checked in, took a tour of the property, and then moved into our room for the weekend. Luke and I stayed in the "Garden Room" and it looked just like something out of Better Home & Gardens! Everything was blue, yellow, and white. So relaxing and cute!

We immediately hopped over to the winery barn because tastings were only being held for another hour or so. Luke and I each did a 5-wine tasting and it was so fun! Confession: neither of us had ever visited a winery before. This was definitely something fun to do together. :)

After our wine tasting, we headed back to the room to unwind and rest for a bit. It was so nice to just kick back, knowing that we had the entire weekend ahead of us! The drive into town from the B&B was just about 10 miles, so we ended up driving over to...just wait...Texas Roadhouse!!! We were so excited when we saw the TR and just knew we had to eat there. The chicken critter salad is my fav! After dinner, we headed back to our cute little room and began planning our Saturday adventures...

Day 2 is up next!

Loves of my life.

 

  Since work is crazy for both of us, we're waiting until this weekend to celebrate Valentines. A date tonight just wouldn't be possible. But I'm excited about going into NYC on Saturday, so that makes up for it! And plus, I'm loving this guy every day of the week, not just on Valentines. :)   And of course, my sweet pups too. I think they think everyday is Valentines because when we come home from work, they attack our faces with puppy kisses and snuggles. It's the best!   Happy Valentines y'all!   "We love because He first loved us." -1 John 4:19

Labor Day Weekend Via Intagram

This Labor Day weekend was much needed and couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I hope all of you were able to spend some quality time with family and friends over the last few days! Here are a few pictures from our weekend via Instagram (what did we ever do without this app??)...

{Diet coke at lunch on Saturday. Photo credit: Luke}

{Luke just got his concealed hand gun license in the mail, so we bought him a conceal and carry gun holster. I don't know much about guns, but this accessory is awesome!}

{I've been wanting a charm bracelet for a while, so Luke bought me one this weekend. I already had a few charms to put on it, but Luke bought me two more too! A puppy dog charm for our furbabies and an "I Love You" charm. I picked up the bracelet today and I love it!}

{Afternoon ice cream treat at the mall}

{Yup, someone got a new motorcycle helmet this weekend. When you put the two of us together, you get a pretty intense shopping team. It's a good thing that we also know how to save money, or we'd be broke!}

{After our 3-mile run on Saturday night}

{We watched Baylor kick SMU's butt on Sunday night in their season opener. Sic 'Em Bears!}

{We caved and ate pizza for dinner that same night. You just need to eat some pizza while watching college football and Breaking Bad!}

{Monday morning was so peaceful. I never get to just lay in bed, drinking coffee and watching Good Morning America, so I definitely took advantage of this on Labor Day!}

{And of course, Brooklyn took advantage of having mom and dad sleep in on a Monday morning. Extra snuggles!}  

  {I worked on some "school work" aka continuing education class}

{The pups got to ride in the car with mom and dad Monday afternoon, which they always love! Sticking your head out the window is the best!}

{And last, but not least, I snagged this adorable necklase from Lisa Leonard Designs on Monday evening right before her Labor Day sale ended. It was $19 down from $44, plus I got an extra 15% off. Yes!! It was a great way to end a wonderful, long weekend}
Hope you all had a blessed Labor Day weekend!!   P.S. Do you have Instagram? If so, look me up!    saramhinton

Kristin's Bachelorette Weekend in San Antonio

A couple of weeks back, my old college roommates and I all met up in San Antonio for Kristin's bachelorette weekend. San Antonio was the prefect location because it's right in the middle of all our current hometowns: Dallas, Houston, Waco, and Corpus Christi. The first night was spent on the San Antonio Riverwalk, where we went to dinner and then showered Kristin with bachelorette gifts!

The second day/night, we drove up to the hill country and stayed at the gorgeous JW Marriott Resort & Spa, where we floated the lazy river, enjoyed some fabulous pina coladas, and just loved on our sweet bride-to-be!

We all headed home on Sunday morning after a fabulous weekend celebrating Kristin's last couple of weeks as a Jones girl. This was also the first time in months that we were all together, which made it that much more special. God could not have blessed me with better college roommates/friends/sisters. 
Up next, a post about Kristin and James' wedding!!

Summer weddings and long weekends

This weekend concluded mine and Luke's summer of weddings! We attended our own (obviously!) on June 25, 2011. Then one month later, I was a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's wedding. The following weekend, I drove to Dallas to see a college friend get married. And finally, this weekend Luke was a groomsman in one of his best friend's wedding. Three of these four weddings were those of "camp couples." Luke and I met at Camp Zephyr back in 2005, I worked there for 4 summers through college, and Luke is currently the camp's full-time staff supervisor. Sarah and Andrew met at camp in 2007 and both of them spent a few summers working there. And Tyler and Aubri practically grew up at camp. Tyler's father is the executive director of Zephyr and both Tyler and Aubri have worked at camp for many summers as kids. It's been such a blessing to watch of all these Zephyr alum grow up, chase new life paths, and fall more in love with the Lord and each other!

{Our wedding 6.25.11}

{Sarah and Andrew 7.30.11}

{Kara and Brett 8.7.11}

{Tyler and Aubri 9.2.11}

Whew! Yes, it was as tiring as it looks!! But we've had an amazing summer celebrating love and God's provision over all of these relationships. This was definitely a summer for the books!

**I must make a quick intervention here to say that while Luke and I were at T&A's wedding, the BAYLOR BEARS kicked some major TCWho's butt on Friday night!!!! I was so proud of my Bears! This game was an amazing way to start off the season and I'm so excited for future games. Rip 'em up, tear 'em up, SIC'EM BU!!!**

Luke and I have also been enjoying our long Labor Day weekend! Aubri and Tyler were married on Friday night, so on Saturday Luke and I drove up to San Antonio for the day. We love getting away every once in a while and SA is the closest "big city." We made a stop by Americus Diamonds to have my engagement ring and wedding bands soldered together, ate lunch at Panda Express, took Brooklyn to PETCO to find a new food/water dish, made a quick stop at The Container Store (LOVE!), and had coffee with some of our best friends, Justin, Michelle, and Gabi Graves. It was a quick trip, but totally worth it!

{Family road trip to San Antonio!}

{Starbucks with Gabbers}

{Brook with her first "puppaccino" from Starbucks!}

{The 3-drawer cart trellis that I bought at The Container Store! Luke put it together for me this evening. Can't wait to organize SOMETHING}

The rest of our weekend has included church and rest. Luke and I are really enjoying attending Yorktown Baptist Church here in Corpus. Worship was amazing today (as always!) and the youth minister, Joel, gave the message this morning. He spoke truth in a very unapologetic way and was so relatable (is this a word?). I would definitely love to hear him speak again! After church, I got to pick up my copy of the book for this fall's women's Bible study. We get started on Sept. 20th and I can't wait to dig into the Word with the ladies of YBC!

I hope you all have had a fabulous long weekend and enjoy your Labor Day tomorrow!!

Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Lewis!!

This past weekend, my sweet friend, Sarah, married the love of her life, Andrew, in a beautiful ceremony at River Hills Baptist Church in Calallen, TX (right outside of Corpus). The ceremony was beautiful and we had a great time celebrating at their reception afterward. I was a bridesmaid in Sarah's wedding, which was very special since she was a bridesmaid in my wedding just 5 weeks earlier. Sarah and Andrew, like Luke I, met and fell in love at Camp Zephyr, which just made the weekend that much more perfect! I'm so excited for these two as they start their new life together in San Antonio, where Sarah just accepted a job as a labor and delivery nurse. Congrats you two lovebirds!!

{Bridesmaids with the bride at the rehearsal dinner}

{The Hintons at the rehearsal dinner}

{Husband and wife. Wasn't she gorgeous?!}

{Friends at the reception}

{Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Lewis!!}